Heading
exhausted he betakes himself to the bayonet, and swears 'the beggars may take their change out of that.
1861. H. Kingsley, Ravenshoe, ch. xlvi. Turn Lady Ascot once fairly to bay, you would (if you can forgive slang) get very little change out of her.
1863. H. Kingsley, Austin Elliott, I., 185. Cabman, log: 'I never said nothink to you, but without provocation you tell me to go to Putney. Now, I tell you what it is, I'm blessed if I don't go, and you may take your change out of that!' And go he did. [Cf., 'Go to Putney' (q.v.).]
Quick change artiste, subs.
(music hall).—A performer, male
or female, who sings one song in
one costume, retires for a few
seconds and returns to sing
another in another guise, and so
on.
Change-Bags, subs. (Eton).—Grey
flannel trousers for cricket,
and knickerbockers for football.
Change One's Note or Tune,
verbal phr. (colloquial).—To
pass from laughter to tears, or from
arrogance to humility; to alter
one's mode of speech, behaviour,
etc. Cf., Change your breath
(q.v. under Breath).
1578. Scot. Poems, 16th c. (1808), II. 185. Priestes change your tune. [m.]
1708. Motteux, Rabelais, V., ix. I'll make him change his note presently.
Change Your Breath.—See
Breath.
Chant or Chaunt, subs. (old).—1.
See quots.
1812. J. H. Vaux, Flask Dictionary. Chaunt: a song . . . To throw off a rum chaunt is to sing a good song.
1882. Daily Telegraph, 19 Oct., p 5, col. 2. To troll his jovial chaunts . . . in a tavern-parlour. [m.]
2. (old).—See quots.
1812. J. H. Vaux, Flash Dict. Chaunt: (a person's) name, address, or designation; . . . a cipher, initials, or mark of any kind, on a piece of plate, linen, or other article; anything so marked is said to be chanted . . . an advertisement in a newspaper or handbill, etc.
1824. Compl. Hist. Murder Mr. Weare. 258. 'We may as well look and see if there is any chaunt about the money'—and they examined the four notes, but there were no marks upon them. [m.]
Verb (old).—1. To talk; sing; relate the praises of; to 'cry' or 'crack up.' Street patterers and vendors chant their songs and wares, oftentimes to an extent not warranted by their quality: hence sense 2. An equivalent amongst French thieves is pousser la goualante.
1851. Mayhew, London Labour and London Poor, I., p. 240. A running patterer . . . who also occasionally chaunts.
2. (common).—To sell a horse by fraudulent representations. [Apparently an extended usage of sense 1—'to cry' or 'crack up.'] Fr., enrosser = to dissemble a horse's faults.
1816. Sporting Magazine, vol. XLIX., p. 305. A number of frauds have been practised lately in the disposal of horses . . . by a gang of . . . swindlers, who technically call it chaunting horses.
1825. English Spy, vol. I., pp. 199, 200. Here a church militant is seen Who'd rather fight than preach, I ween, Once major now a parson; With one leg in the grave he'll laugh, Chant up a prad, or quaintly chaff To keep life's pleasant farce on.
1860. Thackeray, Philip, ch. xx. You may as well say that horses are sold in heaven, which, as you know, are groomed, are doctored, are chanted on to the market, and warranted by dexterous horse-vendors as possessing every quality of blood, pace, temper, age.
Chanter (generally Horse-Chanter),
subs. (common).—1. A
horse-dealer who disposes of
